Electronic media volume control

ABSTRACT

The volume of a sound generated from a source is monitored. Contextual data is collected from sensors. Based on the collected contextual data listeners of the sound are identified. The identified listeners are grouped into listeners that are bothered by the sound and listeners that are unbothered by the sound. An acceptable range for the volume of the sound is determined based on the bothered listeners and the unbothered listeners.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to electrical audio signal processingsystems and devices, and more specifically, to volume control.

Volume control is the intentional alteration of sound. The sound can begenerated from an electronic media device. As volume may beelectronically represented in either digital or analog format, volumecontrol can occur in either domain. Sound waves are measured indecibels. Sound waves—longitudinal waves which travel through air can bealtered so that their projection through space can increase in someareas of space and decrease in other areas of space. The projection ofthe sound waves through space can depend on the nearby environment, morespecifically a shape and material that comprises the nearby environment.The sound waves can be monitored by electrical instruments in order toincrease accuracy of the projection. The nearby environment can changeover a period of time and this change can be monitored.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards acomputer-implemented method of monitoring volume of a sound. Inembodiments, the sound can be generated from a source. In embodiments,the method can further include collecting contextual data from sensors.In embodiments, the method can further include identifying, based on thecollected contextual data, listeners of the sound. In embodiments, themethod can further include grouping the identified listeners intolisteners that are bothered by the sound and listeners that areunbothered by the sound. In embodiments, the method can further includedetermining, based on the bothered listeners and the unbotheredlisteners, an acceptable range for the volume of the sound.

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards a system formonitoring a volume of a sound. In embodiments, the system can include aprocessor and a computer readable storage medium having programinstructions embodied therewith. In embodiments the program instructionscan be executable by the processor to cause the system to monitor volumeof a sound. In embodiments, the sound can be generated from a source. Inembodiments, the system can further collect contextual data fromsensors. In embodiments, the system can further identify, based on thecollected contextual data, listeners of the sound. In embodiments, thesystem can further group the identified listeners into listeners thatare bothered by the sound and listeners that are unbothered by thesound. In embodiments, the system can further determine, based on thebothered listeners and the unbothered listeners, an acceptable range forthe volume of the sound.

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards a computerprogram product for monitoring the volume of a sound. The computerprogram product comprises a computer readable storage medium havingprogram instructions embodied therewith. The computer readable storagemedium is not a transitory signal per se. The program instructions areexecutable by a computer to perform a method. In embodiments, the methodcan include monitoring volume of a sound. In embodiments, the sound canbe generated from a source. In embodiments, the method can includecollecting contextual data from sensors. In embodiments, the method canfurther include identifying listeners of the sound based on thecollected contextual data. In embodiments, the method can furtherinclude grouping the identified listeners into listeners that arebothered by the sound and listeners that are unbothered by the sound. Inembodiments, the method can further include determining an acceptablerange for the volume of the sound based on the bothered listeners andthe unbothered listeners.

The above summary is not intended to describe each illustratedembodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings included in the present application are incorporated into,and form part of, the specification. They illustrate embodiments of thepresent disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure. The drawings are only illustrative ofcertain embodiments and do not limit the disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts an electronic media device within a hotel room utilizingaspects of the present of the disclosure, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a vehicle configured to utilize an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a visual representation of an acceptable volume based oncontextual data collected from remote sensors, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a system for adjusting a volume of a sound that can begenerated from an electronic media device based on contextual data,according to various embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts a method for adjusting a volume of a sound generated froman electronic media device based on contextual data, according tovarious embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a computer system that collectsand analyzes data from motion sensors, according to various embodiments.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to theparticular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to electrical audio signalprocessing systems and devices, more particular aspects relate to volumecontrol. While the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to suchapplications, various aspects of the disclosure may be appreciatedthrough a discussion of various examples using this context.

Volume control and noise pollution are an increasing problem in publicareas, especially as mobile devices proliferate. Common situations ofnoise pollution occur where noise impacts one person, and there may notbe a current method of volume control. Furthermore, there may not evenbe a method or way for feedback from a person bothered by the noisepollution to reach the owner of the device. For example, noise can begenerated from loud headphones on an airplane, a loud television in ahotel, and a loud stereo in a car. In these situations the owner of thedevice may be entirely unaware that they are affecting nearby people,and, furthermore, since there may be legitimate times when these devicesare loud, a blanket volume cap may not be a great option. Manual volumecontrol by a user may even be difficult in some of these situations, forexample in a hotel room where the user may be unaware of guestsoccupying nearby and adjacent rooms. Embodiments of the presentdisclosure can monitor a nearby environment, then send feedback to anowner of a device in order to determine the number of bothered andunbothered listeners, so that the volume of the sound can be modulated.

At a high level, aspects of the present disclosure can, in someembodiments, continually monitor nearby listeners using a variety ofsensors; differentiate a number of bothered listeners versus unbotheredlisteners; modulate volume to balance needs of the bothered listenersagainst unbothered listeners; present visual and audio queues to a userto indicate when the user's volume may be bothering others; and, presenta visual indication of a maximal tolerable volume. Furthermore,embodiments of the present disclosure can aggregate estimated listeners;differentiate between bothered listeners versus unbothered listenersbased on contextual data that the sensors can collect; transmit feedbackto the listener with noise impact and volume thresholds; and control avolume of the sound that an electronic media device can generate basedon the detected nearby listeners.

Aspects of the present disclosure can, in some embodiments, integratewith an electronic media device, for example a television, sound system,home entertainment system, mobile device, or portable electronic device.The system can continually collect as input, via sensors, a number oflisteners in an area nearby the electronic media device. Aspects of thepresent disclosure can also further integrate sound sensors into theelectronic media device, in order to determine impact of the volume ofthe sound being generated from the electronic media device, for example,to account for an open or shut door in a room. The system may need toaccount for double-counting impacted listeners. This can be done, insome embodiments, by listener identification and position, if available,or by analyzing context to increase the likelihood that sensor counts donot overlap. Each of the sensors can be communicatively coupled todecrease the likelihood of double counting. The system can incorporate adatabase in order to determine if a nearby listener is bothered orunbothered. The database can include schematics and floor plans of abuilding that the system is operating within. For example, theschematics could include a list of rooms that are occupied within ahotel room for a given night, or a blueprint of a building that couldinclude such things as wall thickness and the material of the walls toaccount for propagation of sound. The system can evaluate botheredlisteners versus unbothered listeners (typically 1 unbothered and Xbothered, where X can be a positive number).

Differentiating bothered listeners from unbothered listeners can bebased on source. For example, listeners detected from a source, e.g. apanoramic 3D camera can be counted as bothered (discounting an owner oruser of the device), so the owner could be considered unbothered and allother listeners could be considered bothered. In a second case, thecamera can integrate into a system that could be used during aconference or meeting in which case participants in the room could belisted as unbothered listeners. Continuing the second case, a secondsystem could be integrated into a phone of a participant of the meeting,and the second system could list all the participants—including theowner—as bothered. The system can further weight the bothered listenersand unbothered listeners based on a position of the listeners. Forexample, listeners in a hotel room adjacent to the system may beconsidered to be more bothered than listeners in a hallway within thesame hotel. The system can evaluate a proximity of bothered listeners,and can further integrate microphones to determine the impact of acurrent volume of the electronic media device. The system can limit thevolume of the electronic media device to a maximum tolerable volumebased on an impact of the volume on the bothered listeners that can bedetermined, for example, by modules discussed in FIG. 4.

In some embodiments, the system can integrate with microphones andsensors to re-evaluate impact of a determined volume—determined by thesystem—as a double check that the system adjusted the volume accordinglybased on collected contextual data. The system can continually applythis process. The system can also restore or raise the volume limit, asthe impacted listeners or the location of the electronic media devicechange. For example, the system could raise the volume limit when theschematics of a hotel room changes the listing of an adjacent hotel roomfrom occupied to unoccupied.

A variety of sensors can be used to detect nearby listeners. Detectionof ambient noise can be used not only to detect nearby people, but canbe used to detect the background level of noise which may mask audioproduced by the electronic media device. Detection of nearby people canbe based on cell phone signals, radio signals, Wi-Fi signals, etc.Integration of the system can also be utilized with a microphone on anearby participating mobile device, e.g., a smartphone or a tablet. Forexample, a bothered user may activate a “mute nearby” option in order tonotify nearby systems and provide volume input.

In some embodiments, cameras can be utilized as sensors in order tocount the number of people in a room. Cameras can include 3D cameras.The 3D cameras can identify people in a room and determine theirpositions. Integration with architecture diagrams, such as a hotelschematic, can be used to determine room proximities in order to checkfor rooms that are occupied. Integration with airline passenger manifestcan be used in order to determine which seats on an airplane areoccupied. Integration with land plots and neighborhood maps can be usedin order to determine or estimate the number of homes nearby. This canbe beneficial for a vehicle-based system when driving through aneighborhood. Integration of the system with nearby microphones(preconfigured for the building) and also identification of people basedon microphone activity can be beneficial when walking into buildingswith a device that includes the system. Other inputs can include thetime of day in order to determine impact of noise during nighttime.

Turning now to FIG. 1, aspects of the present disclosure being utilizedwithin a hotel can be seen, according to various embodiments. In someembodiments, the hotel can include two rooms 100 and 110, and a hallway120. In some embodiments, a first hotel guest 104 can be watching atelevision 102. The television 102 can generate sound at a volume. Thetelevision 102 can include a system that can adjust and modulate thevolume of the sound in response to various sensors 101, 103, 113, and121 that are within the hotel. In some embodiments, the volume of thesound can disturb a second hotel guest 111 and a third hotel guest 112that are within an adjacent hotel room 110. In some embodiments, acamera 113 within the adjacent hotel room 110 can view the second hotelguest 111 and the third hotel guest 112. In some embodiments, the camera113 can monitor an area nearby the TV 102. Monitoring can be in the formof collecting contextual data, such as, a hotel guest's facialexpressions or a characteristic of a hotel guest, such as, age. In someembodiments, the camera 113 can detect if they are bothered based on thecollected contextual data. In some embodiments, the camera 113 cantransmit the contextual data in the form of an electrical signal to thetelevision 102 in the hotel room 100. In some embodiments, theelectrical signal can express that the second hotel guest 111 and thirdhotel guest 112 are bothered. In some embodiments, the television canreceive the transmitted signal and determine an acceptable volume forthe sound. The acceptable volume can be a volume such that the firstguest 104 can hear the television, but also so that the second hotelguest 111 and the third hotel guest 112 can be left unbothered by thevolume of the sound. In some embodiments, a second camera 101 and anaudio sensor 103 can detect the facial expressions of the first hotelguest 104 and the volume of the sound from the television 102. Thecamera 101 can transmit a second electrical signal to the system withinthe television 102 that represents the state of the facial expression ofthe guest 104. The facial expressions of the guest 104 can be taken intoconsideration when the system determines an acceptable volume of thesound. The acceptable volume can be displayed to the first hotel guest104.

In some embodiments, television 102 can display a user interface (UI)that represents various levels of an acceptable volume for the hotelguest 104 to watch television 102. In some embodiments, the volume ofthe sound can be automatically adjusted based on the electrical signalsthat are from the cameras 101 and 113, and audio sensor 103. In someembodiments, the guest 104 can manually adjust the volume of the sound.In other embodiments, the television can have a maximum tolerable volume(MTV) that the volume of the sound cannot exceed. This MTV can be basedon schematics of the hotel that lists the rooms that are occupied andunoccupied. Each hotel room within the hotel can have a different MTV.In yet other embodiments, the nearby environment may not be static, e.g.in the hallway 120.

Continuing from the previous embodiment, the system can continuallycollect contextual data as listeners and the nearby environment changes.For example, in some embodiments, a fourth hotel guest 122 could bewalking in a hallway 120 of the same hotel. The hallway 120 can beoutside the first and second hotel rooms 100 and 110, respectively. Insome embodiments, the fourth hotel guest 122 could be unbothered orneutral. In some embodiments, the volume of the sound can change fromthe fourth hotel guest's 122 perspective as he traverses the hallway120. For example, the volume of the sound generated from the electronicmedia device 102 can decrease as the fourth hotel guest 122 approachesnear a door of the first hotel room 100 and can increase as he 122 isfarther away from the door of the hotel room 100. In some embodiments, athird sensor 121 can monitor the trajectory of the fourth hotel guest122, as well as his facial expressions. Monitoring can includedetermining a position of the fourth hotel guest 122. The system canextrapolate a distance of the fourth hotel guest 122 from the televisionbased on the monitoring. In some embodiments, the third sensor 121 cantransmit the contextual data in the form of an electrical signal to thesystem within the television 102. The system can determine a volume forthe sound of the television 102 so that the fourth hotel guest 122 canremain unbothered as he traverses the hallway 120. The volume of thesound generated from the television 102 can be automatically adjustedbased on the determined volume. Aspects of the present disclosure canalso be utilized within moving vehicles.

Turning now to FIG. 2, aspects of the present disclosure being utilizedwithin a moving vehicle 202, in response to a nearby emergency vehicle201, can be seen, according to various embodiments. In some embodiments,flashing lights and loud sound can prompt the utilization of aspects ofthe present disclosure. For example, a driver operating the movingvehicle 202 might be playing music at an extremely high volume. Thevolume could distract the driver. The driver might not be able to see orhear an approaching emergency vehicle 201. A system that includesaspects of the present disclosure could be integrated within the vehicle202, and could respond to visual and audial warnings projected by theapproaching emergency vehicle 201. Sensors that can be communicativelycoupled to the system, such as audio and video sensors, can continuallycollect contextual data, e.g., lights and sound emitted from theemergency vehicle 201. The sensors could transmit the contextual data tothe system. The system could then determine an appropriate volume forthe vehicle's 202 sound system. The system could also power off thevehicles 202 sound system in response to the emergency vehicle beingwithin a close range of the vehicle. The system could also notify thedriver to be aware of the emergency vehicle. The system could furtherdisplay the geographic location of the emergency vehicle 201 on a map orreal time footage of the emergency vehicle 201 via a user interface(UI). The UI could be interactive and continually updated with nearbyenvironmental changes based on sensors collecting contextual data.

The user could be presented with feedback when the volume coming fromvehicle 202 has exceeded a level tolerable by others that are nearby.This feedback may be visual or auditory. For example, auditory feedbackcould be someone verbally expressing distaste for the volume of thesound. For yet another example, the visual feedback could be a facialexpression of a nearby listener that could suggest disgust with thevolume of the sound. The system could also present visual feedback aspart of the electronic media device's volume control. In many cases thesystem can display to the listener that the volume has been modulated.For example, radio volume could go up or down or be limited, with acorresponding icon to indicate a modulation is due to volume impact. Insome embodiments, the display can be an indication to the driver of thevehicle 202 that the volume of the sound is bothering people.

In some embodiments, a display can depict a range for a volume of soundto reside within so that listeners nearby are left unbothered. Forexample, a linear volume control on a touch screen can show noisethresholds. The threshold could be depicted by different color segmentsof the volume control that can indicate when volume may likely exceedtolerable levels for listeners nearby. For example, green can indicate avolume that may likely not disturb other nearby listeners, while yellowmay indicate disruption of others may be likely, and red could indicatethat there may be a high likelihood that the volume of the sound couldbe bothersome to listeners. A voice overlay, e.g. an audial signal, canalso indicate to the user when the volume may become disruptive, and byhow much. Alternatively, the UI or voice overlay can simply warn theuser that they may have crossed a threshold based on the environment,e.g., when the contextual data suggests that the user is in a meeting orconference. In some embodiments, the system can display to the listenerthat the volume has been modulated. For example, radio volume could goup or down or be limited, with a corresponding icon to indicate it isdue to volume impact.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a user interface (UI) 300 displaying a range ofvolumes for sound can be seen, according to various embodiments. Anaspect of the present disclosure can be integrated within an electronicmedia device. The electronic media device, e.g., a TV, can display oneor more ranges that the volume can reside within 301, 310, and 320. Theone or more ranges can each represent a different level of bothered. Insome embodiments, a first range of volume 301 can be a range that thevolume of the sound may not likely be bothersome to nearby listeners.The first range 301 can be color coded, e.g., green. In someembodiments, the smiley face 302 can signify that the range may not bebothersome to nearby listeners based on contextual data collected bysensors. In some embodiments, the volume of the sound can be configured,manually by a user or automatically by the system, so that the indicatorcan stay within the first range. This can be useful for when someoneusing the electronic media device leaves an area of the device withoutturning it off.

In some embodiments, the UI 300 can include a second range of volume310. The second range of volume 310 can be a range where the volumecould be slightly bothersome to nearby listeners. The second volumerange 310 can be color coded, e.g., yellow. In some embodiments, theneutral face 311 can signify that nearby listeners may not haveexpressed distaste in the form of a facial expression or verbal outcry,but according to a predetermined model, these listeners could beslightly bothered. The predetermined model can take into account suchparameters as thickness of walls that the device is operating within orthe distance of the nearby listeners to the device.

In some embodiments, the system can be automatically set by a user sothat the volume does not increase beyond the second range 310. Forexample, the user can set a maximum tolerable volume (MTV) 312 that canact as a threshold to a far end of the second range 310. The MTV can bebased on the contextual data. The MTV can be automatically adjusted bythe system.

In some embodiments, a third range of volume 320 can be a range that thevolume is most likely bothersome to nearby listeners. The third range ofvolume 320 can be color coded, e.g., red. In some embodiments, thebothered face 321 can signify that nearby listeners are bothered andthat they have expressed verbally or by a facial expression that thevolume of the sound is bothering them. The verbal expression and thefacial expression of the likely bothered listener can be collected bysensors nearby and transmitted to the system in the form of anelectrical signal. In some embodiments, the user can automaticallypreconfigure the system not to enter into the third range 320. This canbe accomplished by adjusting the MTV 312. In some embodiments, a volumeindicator 303 can indicate the volume and therefore the range that thevolume of the sound is currently in. In some embodiments, the UI 300 maybe useful in adjusting a volume level of a sound in order to maintain alevel of bother caused by the sound.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a diagram of an example system 400 configured toenable aspects of the present disclosure can be seen, according tovarious embodiments. In some embodiments, one or more remote sensors 401can collect contextual data near an electronic media system 420. Theelectronic media system 420 could include an aspect of the presentdisclosure integrated within its housing. The remote sensors 401 caninclude, but are not limited to, a camera (two or three dimensional), anaudio sensor, and motion sensor. In some embodiments, the sensors 401can transmit the contextual data to a collector module 402 in the formof an electrical signal. In some embodiments, the collector module 402can receive the contextual data continuously or in discrete timeintervals. In some embodiments, once the collector module 402 hasreceived the contextual data from the remote sensors 401, the remotesensors can then transmit the electrical signal to an analyzer module403. In some embodiments, the analyzer module 403 can perform basicmathematical techniques to decode the contextual data. For example, theanalyzer module 403 can determine the position of listeners nearby thedevice. In some embodiments, once the analyzer module 403 has analyzedthe contextual data, the analyzer module 403 can transmit the analyzedcontextual data to an identifier module 404.

In some embodiments, the identifier module 404 can identify listenersthat are bothered, unbothered, or neutral. In some embodiments, theidentifier module 404 can identify the listeners based on the listener'sfacial expressions and audial expressions. In some embodiments, theidentifier can also identify an age of a nearby listener. The age can befactored in when an acceptable range of the volume is determined. Forexample, a listener might enjoy music being played at a loud volume whenthe music is of a genre stereotypically enjoyed by the individuals ofthe listener's age. More specifically, for example, a sixty-year-oldlistener may enjoy classic rock at a high volume. For another example, ateenager listener might enjoy current pop music played at a high volumemore than a ninety-year-old listener. In some embodiments, theidentifier module can relate the position of each of the listeners thatare bothered, unbothered, or neutral. In some embodiments, once theidentifier module 404 has identified different types of listeners, theidentifier module 404 can transmit an electrical signal that includes ananalysis of the identified listeners to an organizer module 405.

The organizer module 405 can group the different types of listeners. Forexample, the unbothered listeners can be grouped together, the neutrallisteners can be grouped together, and the bothered listeners can begrouped together. In some embodiments, the organizer module 405 canfurther weigh each of the listeners according to the position of thelistener relative to the electronic media device 420. For example, alistener standing nearby might be weighted more heavily than someonestanding far away from the electronic media device. In some embodiments,once the organizer module 405 has grouped and weighted the listeners,the organizer module 405 can transmit that information to a determinermodule 406 in the form of an electrical signal. In some embodiments, thedeterminer module 406 can determine an acceptable volume of a sound tobe generated by the electronic media device 420 based on the informationthat it has received. The acceptable volume can be in units of decibels.In some embodiments, the determiner module 406 can transmit the value ofthe acceptable volume to a displayer module 407, as well as, an adjustermodule 408.

In some embodiments, the displayer module 407 can generate a visualrepresentation that can include a range of volumes for the sound. Thevisual representation can be displayed within a user interface (UI).This generated UI can be substantially similar to the UI described inFIG. 3. For example, the UI can display within a screen 410 of theelectronic media device 420. In some embodiments, the acceptable volumecan be indicated within the UI along with a display of the contextualdata. In some embodiments, the displayer module 407 can structure animage so that the visual representation fits to the screen 410 of theelectronic media device. This structuring capability can be beneficialsince not all electronic media devices may have the same screen size.

In some embodiments, the adjuster module 408 can also receive the valueof the acceptable volume from the determiner module 406. In someembodiments, the adjuster module 408 can adjust the volume of the soundthat can be generated from one or more speakers 411 of the electronicmedia device 420. In some embodiments, the adjuster module 408 may notautomatically adjust the sound. This can be the case when a user setsthe electronic media device 420 to a manual mode. A maximal tolerablevolume (MTV) can be set by the user or automatically set by the system.In some embodiments, if the volume of the sound reaches an MTV, theadjuster module can override manual mode and automatically lower thevolume to a tolerable level. The tolerable level may most likely bewithin a first range 301 or second range 310 of volume, as discussed inFIG. 3.

In some embodiments, the user can set a preferred range. In someembodiments, the adjuster module 408 can adjust the volume automaticallywithin the preferred range. The user can further determine the preferredrange about the acceptable volume. Sensors 401 can further monitor thevolume of the sound generated from speakers 411 of the electronic mediadevice 420. This can be helpful for determining the effect of the volumeof the sound on the nearby environment for different types of genres.For example, the volume of an action movie can be much more abrasivethan the volume of a romantic movie. This can also be beneficial fordetermining that the outputted volume is in fact substantially close tothe acceptable volume.

In some embodiments, the speaker 411 can have an output. In someembodiments, the output can be connectively coupled with a volumemonitor module 409. In some embodiments, the volume monitor module 409can monitor the volume of the sound emitted from the speakers 411. Thevolume monitor module 409 can determine the effect of the volume of thesound within a room that the electronic media device 420 is operatingin. The volume monitor module 409 can transmit a value of the volume ofthe sound in decibels in the form of an electrical signal to theadjuster module 408. The adjuster module 408 can then adjust the volumeof the sound based on the value of the volume of the sound. In someembodiments, this process can repeat continuously so that the volume iscurrently being adjusted based on the environment at a present time. Amethod for this process is further explained in FIG. 5.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a method for adjusting volume of a sound based oncontextual data can be seen, according to various embodiments. In someembodiments, the method can include, in operation 510, monitoring avolume of a sound that is being generated from an electronic mediadevice, e.g., electronic media device 420. In some embodiments,monitoring the electronic media device can be accomplished by anelectronic audio instrument, e.g., volume monitor module 409. In someembodiments, the electronic audio instrument can continuously ordiscretely monitor the volume over time. The electronic audio instrumentcan be integrated within a casing that houses the electronic mediadevice or within a close proximity of the electronic media device.

In some embodiments, operation 520 can include collecting contextualdata from sensors. In some embodiments, the sensors can be within a roomthat is bounding an electronic media device. In some embodiments, thesensors can be in another room than the electronic media device. Thesensors can collect video and audio data. The sensors can furthercollect data from, e.g., a database that is holding data that can relateto listeners that are nearby the electronic media device. For example,the database can be a mobile service provider, and the data can includethe volume setting of a cell phone of a nearby listener. The volumesetting can indicate the likelihood that the nearby listener could bebothered by a loud sound. For example, a mobile device with a volumesetting on mute might suggest that the listener is in a meeting or thatthe listener does not want to be disturbed. An aggregation of nearbylisteners that have their mobile device volume settings on mute mightsuggest that a meeting is being conducted and that they could bebothered by most noise. Data within a database can also include alisting of guests within a hotel for a night. The data can furtherinclude which rooms the hotel guests are occupying. The sensors could befurther utilized in a moving vehicle. The sensors could identify anemergency vehicle approaching or within a close proximity of the movingvehicle. The sensors could also detect facial expressions, as well asverbal ques, that indicate that a listener could be bothered by a volumeof a sound.

In some embodiments, the operation 530 can include identifying listenersof the sound. This identifying can be based on the contextual data thatcan be collected in operation 520. Identifying can include determiningindividuals that can hear the sound that is being generated by theelectronic media device. This identifying can be accomplished throughimage or audio analysis techniques commonly known in the art. Image oraudio analysis techniques can determine the volume of sound beinggenerated by an electronic media device propagating through space to aposition of an individual. For example, the sound being generated canreach two individuals standing relatively close, e.g., five feet fromeach other, but the generated sound may reach one of the individuals andnot the other. The identifying can be performed by a, e.g., identifiermodule 404.

In some embodiments, the operation 540 can include grouping theidentified listeners. The grouping can include partitioning listenersthat are bothered by the sound into a first group and listeners that areunbothered by the sound into a second group. A third group can includelisteners that are neutral, e.g., the third hotel guest 122 in FIG. 1.In some embodiments, the grouping can be useful information forincreasing an accuracy of an acceptable volume that may not bothernearby listeners. In some embodiments, the grouping can be performed bya, e.g., grouping module 405.

In some embodiments, the operation 550 can include determining anacceptable range for the volume of the sound. In some embodiments, thedetermining can be performed by a, e.g., determiner module 406. Thedeterminer module can base a determined acceptable range for the volumeon the contextual data. The acceptable range can be set by a user. Therange can be in units of decibels. In some embodiments, once theoperation 550 has determined an acceptable range for the volume of thesound, the method 500 can conclude.

In some embodiments, the operations and modules described herein can beincluded within and performed by components of a computer (e.g., aprocessor), such as the computer system described in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 depicts a high-level block diagram of a system for implementingembodiments of the disclosure. The mechanisms and apparatus ofembodiments of the present disclosure apply equally to any appropriatecomputing system. The major components of the computer system 600comprise one or more processors 606, a main memory 604, a terminalinterface 610, a storage interface 612, an I/O (Input/Output) deviceinterface 614, a user I/O device 624, and a storage device 626, all ofwhich are communicatively coupled, directly or indirectly, forinter-component communication via a memory bus 618, an I/O bus 620, andan I/O bus interface unit 622.

The computer system 600 may contain one or more general-purposeprogrammable central processing units (CPUs) 606A, 606B, 606C, and 606D,herein generically referred to as the processor 606. In an embodiment,the computer system 600 contains multiple processors typical of arelatively large system; however, in another embodiment the computersystem 600 may alternatively be a single CPU system. Each processor 606executes instructions stored in the main memory 604 and may comprise oneor more levels of on-board cache 630.

In an embodiment, the main memory 604 may comprise a random-accesssemiconductor memory, storage device, or storage medium (either volatileor non-volatile) for storing or encoding data and programs 634. Inanother embodiment, the main memory 604 represents the entire virtualmemory of the computer system 600, and may also include the virtualmemory of other computer systems coupled to the computer system 600 orconnected via a network. The main memory 604 is conceptually a singlemonolithic entity, but in other embodiments the main memory 604 is amore complex arrangement, such as a hierarchy of caches 630 and othermemory devices. For example, memory may exist in multiple levels ofcaches, and these caches may be further divided by function, so that onecache holds instructions while another holds non-instruction data, whichis used by the processor or processors. Memory may be furtherdistributed and associated with different CPUs or sets of CPUs, as isknown in any of various so-called non-uniform memory access (NUMA)computer architectures.

The main memory 604 may store all or a portion of the following: RAM632, cache 630, storage system 636, one or more programs/utilities 634,and at least one set of program modules 638. Although the RAM 632, cache630, storage system 636, one or more programs/utilities 634, and atleast one set of program modules 638 are illustrated as being containedwithin the memory 604 in the computer system 600, in other embodimentssome or all of them may be on different computer systems and may beaccessed remotely, e.g., via a network. The computer system 600 may usevirtual addressing mechanisms that allow the programs of the computersystem 600 to behave as if they only have access to a large, singlestorage entity instead of access to multiple, smaller storage entities.Thus, while the RAM 632, cache 630, storage system 636, one or moreprograms/utilities 638, and at least one set of program modules 638 areillustrated as being contained within the main memory 604, thesecomponents are not necessarily all completely contained in the samestorage device at the same time. Further, although the RAM 632, cache630, storage system 636, one or more programs/utilities 638, and atleast one set of program modules 638 are illustrated as being separateentities, in other embodiments some of them, portions of some of them,or all of them may be packaged together.

In an embodiment, the memory 604 comprise instructions or statementsthat execute on the processor 606 or instructions or statements that areinterpreted by instructions or statements that execute on the processor606, to carry out the functions as further described with reference tothe figures as discussed herein. For example, the memory 604 can storethe approved set of motion data and can be compared to the first set ofdata by the processor 606. The memory 604 can store instructions forextracting information from one or more motion sensors 628, determiningthe one or more differences, score, as well as, for executing thereaction sequence. The memory 604 can store the information from one ormore motion sensors 628 once the motion sensors 628 have been connectedto the I/O device interface 614 of the computer system 600. The computersystem 600 can be communicatively and connectively coupled to thehardware element. The terminal interface 610 can update the user with areal time analysis of the one or more actions being implemented inmethod 500.

In another embodiment, the main memory 604 are implemented in hardwarevia semiconductor devices, chips, logical gates, circuits, circuitcards, and/or other physical hardware devices in lieu of, or in additionto, a processor-based system. In an embodiment, the main memory 604comprise data in addition to instructions or statements.

The memory bus 618 provides a data communication path for transferringdata among the processor 606, the main memory 604, and the I/O businterface 622. The I/O bus interface 622 is further coupled to the I/Obus 620 for transferring data to and from the various I/O units. The I/Obus interface unit 622 communicates with multiple I/O interface units610, 612, 614, 624, and 626 which are also known as I/O processors(IOPs) or I/O adapters (IOAs), through the I/O bus 620.

The I/O interface units support communication with a variety of storageand I/O devices. For example, the terminal interface unit 610 supportsthe attachment of one or more user I/O devices 624, which may compriseuser output devices (such as a video display device, speaker, and/ortelevision set) and user input devices (such as a keyboard, mouse,keypad, touchpad, trackball, buttons, light pen, or other pointingdevice). A user may manipulate the user input devices using a userinterface, in order to provide input data and commands to the user I/Odevice 624 and the computer system 600, and may receive output data viathe user output devices. For example, a user interface may be presentedvia the user I/O device 624, such as displayed on a display device,played via a speaker, or printed via a printer.

The storage interface 612 supports the attachment of one or more diskdrives or direct access storage devices 626 (which are typicallyrotating magnetic disk drive storage devices, although they couldalternatively be other storage devices, including arrays of disk drivesconfigured to appear as a single large storage device to a hostcomputer). In another embodiment, the storage device 626 may beimplemented via any type of secondary storage device. The contents ofthe main memory 604, or any portion thereof, may be stored to andretrieved from the storage device 626, as needed. The I/O deviceinterface 614 provides an interface to any of various other input/outputdevices or devices of other types, such as printers or fax machines. Thenetwork interface provides one or more communications paths from thecomputer system 600 to other digital devices and computer systems; suchpaths may comprise, e.g., one or more networks.

Although the memory bus 618 is shown in FIG. 6 as a relatively simple,single bus structure providing a direct communication path among theprocessors 606, the main memory 604, and the I/O bus interface 622, infact the memory bus 618 may comprise multiple different buses orcommunication paths, which may be arranged in any of various forms, suchas point-to-point links in hierarchical, star or web configurations,multiple hierarchical buses, parallel and redundant paths, or any otherappropriate type of configuration. Furthermore, while the I/O businterface 622 and the I/O bus 620 are shown as single respective units,the computer system 600 may, in fact, contain multiple I/O bus interfaceunits 622 and/or multiple I/O buses 620. While multiple I/O interfaceunits are shown, which separate the I/O bus 620 from variouscommunications paths running to the various I/O devices, in otherembodiments some or all of the I/O devices are connected directly to oneor more system I/O buses.

In various embodiments, the computer system 600 is a multi-usermainframe computer system, a single-user system, or a server computer orsimilar device that has little or no direct user interface, but receivesrequests from other computer systems (clients). In other embodiments,the computer system 600 is implemented as a desktop computer, portablecomputer, laptop or notebook computer, tablet computer, pocket computer,telephone, smart phone, or any other appropriate type of electronicdevice.

FIG. 6 is intended to depict the representative major components of thecomputer system 600. But, individual components may have greatercomplexity than represented in FIG. 6, components other than or inaddition to those shown in FIG. 6 may be present, and the number, type,and configuration of such components may vary. Several particularexamples of such additional complexity or additional variations aredisclosed herein; these are by way of example only and are notnecessarily the only such variations. The various program componentsillustrated in FIG. 6 and implementing various embodiments of theinvention may be implemented in a number of manners, including usingvarious computer applications, routines, components, programs, objects,modules, data structures, etc., and are referred to herein as“software,” “computer programs,” or simply “programs.”

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It can be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosurehave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is: 1) A computer-implemented method comprising:monitoring volume of a sound, the sound being generated from a source;collecting contextual data from sensors; identifying, based on thecollected contextual data, listeners of the sound; grouping theidentified listeners into listeners that are bothered by the sound andlisteners that are unbothered by the sound; and determining, based onthe bothered listeners and the unbothered listeners, an acceptable rangefor the volume of the sound. 2) The method of claim 1, wherein theacceptable range for the volume of the sound is based on a number ofbothered listeners and a number of unbothered listeners. 3) The methodof claim 1, wherein the contextual data is used to differentiatebothered listeners from unbothered listeners. 4) The method of claim 1,wherein the sensors are selected from a group consisting of threedimensional cameras, two dimensional cameras, audio recorders, andmotion sensors. 5) The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:displaying, based on the contextual data, the acceptable range of thevolume of the sound within a user interface (UI). 6) The method of claim1, the method further comprising: weighting, based on the contextualdata, the bothered listeners and the unbothered listeners; andaggregating, in response to the weighting, the bothered listeners andthe unbothered listeners, wherein the determining the acceptable rangeof volume is based on the weighting. 7) The method of claim 6, themethod further comprising: displaying, based on the determining theacceptable range of volume, the acceptable range of volume within a userinterface (UI). 8) The method of claim 1, wherein the source is anelectronic media device. 9) The method of claim 1, the method furthercomprising: determining, based on the monitoring the volume of thesound, a current volume of the sound being generated from the source;and adjusting automatically, based on the acceptable range of the volumeof the sound, the current volume of the sound being generated from thesource. 10) The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:setting, based on a preference of a user, a level of bothered; trackingone or more bothered listeners within an area surrounding the source;and maintaining automatically the level of bothered, by adjusting thevolume of the sound, as one or more bothered listeners change geographiclocation. 11) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining theacceptable range of the volume is further based on a characteristic ofthe bothered listeners and unbothered listeners, and wherein the methodfurther comprises: determining, based on the contextual data, thecharacteristic of the bothered listeners and unbothered listeners,wherein the characteristic is based on age. 12) The method of claim 1,wherein the determining the acceptable range of the volume is furtherbased on a characteristic of each listener, and wherein the methodfurther comprises: determining, based on the contextual data, thecharacteristic of each listener, wherein the characteristic is based ona volume setting of each mobile device that each listener is using. 13)The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the acceptable range ofthe volume is further based on a characteristic of the botheredlisteners and unbothered listeners, and wherein the method furthercomprises: determining, based on the contextual data, the characteristicof the bothered listeners and unbothered listeners, wherein thecharacteristic is based on a schematic that includes information of abuilding that is enclosing the source of the sound. 14) The method ofclaim 13, wherein the information includes a list of rooms in thebuilding that are occupied and rooms in the building that areunoccupied. 15) A system for monitoring a volume of a sound, the systemcomprising: a processor; and a computer readable storage medium havingprogram instructions embodied therewith, the program instructionsexecutable by the processor to cause the system to: monitor volume of asound, the sound being generated from a source; collect contextual datafrom sensors; identify, based on the collected contextual data,listeners of the sound; group the identified listeners into listenersthat are bothered by the sound and listeners that are unbothered by thesound; and determine, based on the bothered listeners and the unbotheredlisteners, an acceptable range for the volume of the sound. 16) Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the acceptable range for the volume of thesound is based on a number of bothered listeners and a number ofunbothered listeners. 17) The system of claim 15, wherein the contextualdata is used to differentiate bothered listeners from unbotheredlisteners. 18) A computer program product for monitoring a volume of asound, the computer program product comprising a computer readablestorage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, whereinthe computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se,the program instructions executable by a computer to perform a methodcomprising: monitoring volume of a sound, the sound being generated froma source; collecting contextual data from sensors; identifying, based onthe collected contextual data, listeners of the sound; grouping theidentified listeners into listeners that are bothered by the sound andlisteners that are unbothered by the sound; and determining, based onthe bothered listeners and the unbothered listeners, an acceptable rangefor the volume of the sound. 19) The computer program product of claim18, wherein the acceptable range for the volume of the sound is based ona number of bothered listeners and a number of unbothered listeners. 20)The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the contextual data isused to differentiate bothered listeners from unbothered listeners.